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them up before speaking.
“If the three of you are going to keep following me around like lost dogs, this is going to be a very long week.” Lyssa came up short, not sure how to respond. The shy girl seemed to shrink in on herself, but the bubbly girl just giggled. Lyssa’s face betrayed her incredulousness at the girl’s laugh, which only made her laugh harder.
“You should see the look on your face right now! It’s priceless,” the girl said between giggles. Lyssa quickly schooled her face and made an attempt to smile with the girl. Lyssa was unsure of how to interact with the other girls, as she had little experience with making friends. Young girls weren’t allowed to have close friends in their community, as that encourages
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ungodly behavior. It seemed the bubbly girl was a natural, but Lyssa’s inexperience manifested into awkwardness.
She thrust her hand out towards the bubbly girl, like she had seen the older women do in town when meeting new people. Older women were allowed to have friends. “I’m Lyssa,” she said, in an attempt to turn the conversation away from her embarrassment.
“Oh!” the bubbly girl gasped before taking Lyssa’s hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “I’m Elaine.” Lyssa returned Elaine’s smile and felt a warm feeling in her chest. Was this what it felt like to make a friend?
Elaine turned to the older girl, crossing her arms. “Well, if we are going to be following you around for the next week, we should probably know your name,” she said in a tone mocking that of the older girl’s.
The girl rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched in a smile. “It’s Odeliah.”